A truly inspirational STEM teacher is just one of the many amazing women who have entered and been nominated for Sutton’s exciting new awards.
Applications are flowing in across all nine categories of the first Sutton Women Mean Business Awards in association with Willmott Dixon, which launched on International Women’s Day last March.
But anyone still wishing to nominate or enter is urged to grasp the opportunity and not miss the 10th May closing date.
The awards are open to all women working in Sutton, whether they are corporate leaders managing businesses, young rising-star entrepreneurs, or one or our vital front line service professionals, such as nurses, ambulance drivers, care home workers, police officers or firefighters. There is even an important entry category for employers – male or female – who support and champion women in the workplace.
Sutton High School Head of STEM, Dr Orietta Bartalini was one of the first people to be nominated. The school’s Head of Careers, Liz Berner, proposed the popular physics teacher for the Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) category for the way she enthuses pupils about science.
Liz said: “With her energy, enthusiasm, sheer excitement with anything STEM, Dr B. inspires girls to learn, to want to find out more, to be curious and to be challenged.”
Orietta – who has now turned her nomination into an awards entry – commented: “The engagement of the girls in STEM at Sutton High is a joy to see. Our most exciting project was where a team of Year 10 girls launched, tracked and recovered a helium balloon with an IPhone X dangling from it. The girls and myself had the time of our life.”
She is also encouraging more women to enter the awards: “The role of women in the workplace needs to be explicitly valued. Seeing what other women have achieved in the community through these awards could inspire women to put themselves forward for more challenging and rewarding positions.”
Another early awards nomination came in for ‘mumpreneurs’ – and mum employers! – Rescue Mums. Friends and young Sutton Mums, Samantha Dalziel, Lucy Watkins and Hannah Manning spotted a need that their ‘home help service’ aims to fill.
Hannah said: “We were thrilled to be nominated for SWMB. We set up Rescue Mums in early 2017 to help people – to help those that work and don’t have time to maintain their own homes to the standard they would like, to help look after elderly parents and to take the pressure off new mums and dads. We also wanted to support mums who choose not to – or can’t – go back to full-time work by offering them a chance to earn money whilst working hours that suit them. These jobs are few and far between!”
All entries will go forward to the first round of independent judging after the closing date. You can read more about some of the early awards entrants – and apply or enter yourself – here: www.suttonwomenmeanbusiness.co.uk
The new awards, a joint initiative between Successful Sutton BID, Sutton Council and White Label Creative, are inviting entries from women working across all professions, businesses and sectors, including charities and social enterprise in Sutton. It is free and easy to enter or nominate someone online at: www.suttonwomenmeanbusinessawards.co.uk
A special pop-art exhibition of portraits of 14 Sutton Inspirational Women, who act as ambassadors for the awards, will be on public display at Sutton Library from Tuesday, 30th April.
The eventual winners of the first awards programme – who will go on to be next year’s Sutton Inspirational Women – will be announced at a glittering Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony in September.
The Sutton Women Mean Business Awards are sponsored by Willmott Dixon, Successful Sutton, ABC Hire, Beddington for Business, Kier, KIPPA BID, London Borough of Sutton, and are supported by Riva Bingo, Time & Leisure, Watkins Cole and CNM-Sutton Point.
For more information on sponsorship please contact Rhian on 0208 726 7968 or email [email protected]
The Sutton Women Mean Business entry categories:
· Corporate Leader
· Business Entrepreneur
· Rising Star
· Employer of the Year
· Contribution to the Community
· Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths)
· Women in Frontline Services
· Women in Education, Skills and Training
· Women in Retail
Closing date for entries is 10th May 2019.
www.suttonwomenmeanbusiness.co.uk
For more information, please contact:
